Monday, June 7, 2010

More Bagels (And Bagel Dogs!)

Last week's cinnamon raisin bagels were a real hit with the weekend crowd we had here. I was tickled to be able to inform them that they were 100% whole wheat and no one was the wiser. They really are that good. With that success under my belt I headed into another venture with bagel making and that was to recreate the bagel dog that my kids loved so much when they were younger. This particular recipe isn't 100% whole wheat in that I did use white flour in the sponge, but the final dough uses white whole wheat flour and the resulting bagel is delicious and chewy. The dogs are precooked turkey brats and therefore I declare them a relatively healthy snack food or a quick lunch. Come on.... you know you want one.

My post on the cinnamon raisin bagels has all the photos to help you with the shaping of the dough into bagels so please refer to that if you need visual help with this recipe. Also, for the bagel dogs, any precooked hot dog, brat or sausage can be used.

Whisk together the dry ingredients in a 4 quart mixing bowl. Whisk in the water, stirring to make a smooth, sticky batter almost like pancake batter. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature for about 2 hours, or until the batter has nearly doubled in size and is very foamy and bubbly.

Add the instant yeast to the sponge and stir well. In small bowl whisk together the flour, wheat gluten, salt, and malt powder. Add to the sponge and using dough hook, knead until dough is smooth and elastic, about 6 minutes. Remove dough from bowl and place on clean countertop.

Line a baking sheet with a silpat or parchment paper sprayed with cooking spray. Divide dough into 3 ounce portions for the bagels and 2 1/2 ounce portions for the bagel dogs.

Roll each portion into a ball and place on prepared baking sheet. Cover with a damp towel and let rest for 20 minutes.

Roll balls into 6-7 inch ropes for the bagels and 10-12 inch ropes for the bagel dogs. If the dough resists, just let it rest for a few minutes and try rolling it again.

For the bagels, wrap the dough around your palm and the back of your hand, overlapping the ends by an inch or two. Press the overlapping edges against countertop, rolling the bagel back and forth to seal the seam.

For the bagel dogs, wrap the dough around the dog, making sure to tuck the ends in.

Place bagels and bagel dogs back on baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap that has been coated with cooking spray. Allow bagels to rest at room temperature for approximately 20 minutes. To test to see if bagels are ready to be placed in fridge for an overnight rest, drop a bagel in a small bowl of cool water. If the bagel floats within 10 seconds of being placed in the water, it's ready. Remove it from the water and dry it off a bit with a paper towel and return it to the tray. If it doesn't float, wait for another 5-10 minutes and try again. Cover bagels again with the greased plastic wrap and place in refrigerator overnight and for up to two days.

To finish and bake bagels and bagel dogs:

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, spray with cooking spray and dust lightly with cornmeal or semolina flour.

Bring a large, wide pot of water to a boil and add 1 TBSP baking soda. Remove bagels from the fridge and gently drop them into the boiling water. Let them boil for one minute, then flip them over to boil on the other side for one minute. Remove bagels from water with a slotted spoon and place on prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle with kosher salt and poppy or sesame seeds if desired.

Place the pan in the oven and bake for approximately five minutes. Then rotate pan 180 degrees and reduce oven heat to 450 degrees. Bake for an additional 5 minutes or until bagels are golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool on cooling rack.

Yes I confess I do want one of those bagel dogs. Nice photo too. Please consider submitting it to FoodGazing.com. FoodGazing.com was launched just a few weeks ago and we are looking for great food photos and recipes. Thanks!

I love your fun idea of bagel dogs. Kosher? I tried making bagels about 20 years ago. However, I had little to go on and made SUCH a terrible hash of it that I never made them again. Many thanks for your reassuringly clear instructions, which I'll definitely try.

About Me

This is my documentation of my life after turning 50. Lots of recipes, some healthy, some not so much... tossed up with a hefty dose of sarcasm and motherly love.
My email address: maggielauerrdh(at)yahoo.com